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CatastropheSpain

Spain: 1,500 evacuated as wildfire rages

March 24, 2023

Officials said that the first major wildfire of the year was occurring earlier than expected. Firefighters are rushing to put out the blaze raging along the border of the eastern Valencia and Aragon regions.

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Firefighters putting out wildfire in eastern Spain
Firefighters in eastern Spain are working to put out the first wildfire of the year, which officials say has come earlyImage: Military Emergency Unit/REUTERS

More than 1,500 people have been evacuated as Spain grapples with its first major wildfire this year, officials said on Friday.

Hundreds of firefighters were battling the blaze, which has devastated 3,000 hectares in the east of the country.

Spain's fire services and military emergency unit (UME) deployed 20 helicopters and firefighting planes.

The fire hit the border region between the province of Teruel in the northeastern Aragon region and in the eastern Valencia region's Castellon province. It began just after midday local time near Villanueva de Viver, some 90 kilometers (55 miles) north of the city of Valencia.

The AEMET state weather service reported that firefighting was being hampered by high winds, low humidity levels and temperatures of above 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit).

What did Spanish officials say about the fire?

"We are unfortunately facing the first big fire of the year and it's happening out of season," Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said.

"Such fires so early in the year are just more evidence of the climate emergency that humanity is facing," he said.

Sanchez pledged that the central government would make use of "all available resources" to support the devolved Valencian authorities in the fight to put out the fire. 

"We are facing a fire that is more typical of summer," Castellon firefighter spokesperson Manolo Nicolas told RNE public radio. He said that conditions were "perfect for such a fire" due to "large amounts of combustible" biomass in forests.

The village of Montanejos, which is known for its natural pools and springs, had its hotels evacuated as a precautionary measure, mayor Miguel Sandalinas told RNE.

"Temperatures will reach 30 degrees Celsius today," Sandalinas said, adding that the region was experiencing weather typical of July in March.

Last year, Spain experienced its worst wildfire year since records began, with the European Union's Earth monitoring program recording 493 blazes. More than 3,000 square kilometers were destroyed.

sdi/nm (AFP, Reuters, dpa, AP, EFE)